US House Passes Defense Bill Without Amendment That Would Have Allowed Abortions at Overseas Military Clinics

Main Category: Abortion
Article Date: 27 May 2005 - 10:00 PDT

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The House on Wednesday approved 390-39 a $441.6 billion fiscal year 2006 defense authorization bill... (HR 1815) without an amendment that would have repealed the current ban on abortions at overseas military clinics, CQ Today reports (Plummer, CQ Today, 5/25). The law -- which was instituted by President Reagan in 1988, lifted by President Clinton in 1993 and reinstated by the Republican-controlled Congress in 1996 -- prevents military hospitals from performing any abortion procedures unless the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest or the procedure is necessary to save a woman's life. Even in cases of rape or incest, military health insurance does not cover the cost of abortion procedures (Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, 8/13/04). The amendment would have allowed female troops or military dependants stationed overseas to undergo privately funded abortion at military facilities but would not have required the Department of Defense to pay for the procedures (NARAL Pro-Choice America release, 5/25). The amendment, which was sponsored by Reps. Susan Davis (D-Calif.) and Jane Harman (D-Calif.), failed 194-233 (CQ Today, 5/25).

"Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork.org kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/repro The Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

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